teflon Tony or abbottstestosis…(4 June ’13)

excerpt of…

…Joint Doorstop Interview, Queanbeyan

Posted on Tuesday, 4 June 2013

QUESTION:

In 2001, what happened when your department knocked back a request from Telstra to provide compensation for those affected by asbestos?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I’m not going to comment on decisions that the department made. What I can do is certainly defend my own record when it comes to asbestos. One of my early acts as Minister for Workplace Relations was to commence the process for banning the importation and use of Chrysotile asbestos. As Health Minister I committed $6 million to establish a national research centre into asbestos-related diseases. So, the record is there for all to see and my plea to the Government now is please, please, given what we know about asbestos, make sure that the roll-out of the National Broadband Network doesn’t add to the asbestos hazards that the Australian people face.

QUESTION:

But as Minister were you aware of that decision?

TONY ABBOTT:

I’m just not going to comment on who said what to whom, when, what document might have gone to what person when. The fact is you can always ask the department what the department did back then…